A Retake on Conservatism in Hollywood

“A Retake on Conservatism in Hollywood,” explores how a small group of Southern California businessmen, political operatives, and Hollywood celebrities revitalized a languid California Republican Party in post-World War II America, and in doing so transformed American national politics. Hollywood Right celebrities remained steadfast in their support of their cause, even as film culture and popular culture appeared to shift away from traditional values.
            The Communist controversy in Hollywood, represented by House on Un-American Activities investigations in 1947 and 1951, the firing and imprisonment of the Hollywood Ten, and the subsequent studio blacklist has produced a myriad of books, memoirs, and movies. Archival records reveal, however, that the Republican Party leadership, fearing a voter backlash against a “witch hunt,” attempted to head off the 1947 hearings. In addition, archival records reveal that the anti-Communist right in Hollywood was serious divided over black-listing and loyalty oaths.
            While Communists were being purged in the film industry, a quiet revolution occurred in the California Republican Party led by an informal alliance of state businessmen, political operatives, and Hollywood celebrities. This political history has not been fully explored by historians, but laid the foundations for a conservative politics that dominated most of the late 20^th century.